Peak rail fare suspension must be made permanent

Fiona Hyslop should look at the bigger picture as she prepares to decide the future of the Scotrail scheme

The Scottish Government’s target of achieving net zero by 2045 – and in the process eliminating greenhouse gas emissions – will require creative and progressive thinking to be realistically achievable.

Analysis published last week by the Scottish Fiscal Commission suggested Scotland would need to boost capital spending by at least £1.1 billion a year to keep net zero targets on track.

It is a stark, sobering figure. But the debate can also be used as a springboard to highlight initiatives that can significantly help in achieving the net zero goal.

Sustainable transport is widely regarded as one piece in the net zero puzzle. Within this context, Scotland is now six months into the trial of suspending peak fares on all Scotrail services.

One of the main objectives of the fare suspension has been to encourage commuters back onto public transport in a post-covid environment and away from private vehicle use.

The pilot has meant reduced fares by up to around half on some routes, such as Edinburgh-glasgow.

Today Scotland’s four rail unions, as well as the Scottish Trades Union Congress, have written to transport secretary Fiona Hyslop calling on the Scottish Government to make the pilot scheme permanent.

In the letter, which has also been signed by environmental groups Stop Climate Chaos and Friends of the Earth Scotland, they suggest the reduction in prices is critical if Scotland is to encourage more people onto trains and meet its climate targets.

The Scottish Government has been rightly applauded in many quarters for trialling the suspension, as figures show more than one million extra journeys have been made on Scotrail services since the initial six-month trial was launched in October and then extended to June.

Ms Hyslop will no doubt come under pressure to justify the scheme’s affordability. But both she – and the Scottish Government – would be wise to look at the bigger picture as they prepare over coming weeks to decide the scheme’s future.